The Washington Huskies enjoyed their bye week and finally found themselves in the AP Top 25 — a ranking that will become irrelevant on Tuesday evening when the playoff selection committee releases its first rankings of the year.

It’s a glaring fact that the AP poll has quickly become a relic of the past, much like the monarchy to our friends across the Atlantic. Just like the royal crown, its power now exists merely as a figurehead for people to talk about.

The AP poll, like the Coaches Poll, was once highly regarded as the standard by which national champions were determined. It was messy, and it was beautiful. Because of those old polls, many teams have a claim to past national championships — and plenty of fun arguments with fans from other programs.

In 1984, the 11–1 Huskies finished No. 2 behind a BYU team that played a much weaker schedule but went 13–0, including an extra game against Hawaii. The AP, Coaches, Football Writers of America, and USA Today polls all ranked the Cougars as the top team, but Football News placed Washington ahead of BYU. There’s a group of Husky fans (myself included) who believe the university should claim a national championship for the ’84 season.

Time has moved on, and things have progressed. The parliament is in charge, and the committee’s rankings now determine the playoff and the final standings.

The AP has become little more than a requirement for writers in the old media — something for fans like us to complain about. The truth is, many writers focus so much on their own beat that they may not have the passion (or the time) to spend a full Saturday — and Friday night — following the entire sport. The poll has lost its power, but it still holds some value.

While the playoff committee is far from perfect — and there will always be problems — it’s a better representation than what we’ve seen from the AP over the last few seasons. The AP poll means nothing, yet it still has a place in the meaningless conversations we all love to have.